Hi Adventure Photographing Steam In Darkest Africa

How I Nearly Lost My Life To Get The Shots

It was 1975, when I was enticed to visit Mozambique with visions of double Garratts and the last 4-4-2 Atlantics in the world, in a country seldom visited.

They were crazy times, as the country had been at war for years, and we went in a relatively stable window, where the fighting had ceased.

What we naively didn’t realise, was the tension that was present, and the risk we took penetrating deep into the country, reaching the Rhodesian border and the northern part

Only to be arrested and disappear without trace for 6 weeks as guests of the FRELIMO liberation army.

The book is called “The Holy Grail Of Steam”, as the area we aimed to visit was the last place on earth where passenger Atlantics still operated in regular service. Atlantics were the express passenger engines of choice in the early 1900s and hauled the first trains to exceed 100 mph.

With over 66 colour photos and what has been described as the ultimate steam adventure, it is entertaining and of historical significance, as information on this country at this time is hard to find.

Available on Amazon in Kindle format for just $3.99. Simply click on the ad on this page to purchase.

You can download a reader for PC or Mac as well as read on Kindle or any Tablet computer.

Here is a photo from the book.

Ex Rhodesian 18 Class and Mozambique 952 series Garratts double head West of Beira near the Rhodesian Border.